Can I lose on 1,650 calories a day?

KM0692

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

Replies

musicfan68

If this is what MFP gave you when you put your stats in to lose per week, then yes.

geltner1

Did you request to lose one half pound per week? And did MFP say 1650 calories would do that for you? Then start logging, weigh in a couple of times a week and see how it goes. Good luck!

ITUSGirl51

I think that would be .5 a week. You will need to be tight with logging. 30 min of dog walking will only burn 100-150 calories depending on how fast you walk.

mkculs

At 5'6" and 155, you won't have a lot of weight to lose (and I know that is a relative term). It makes good sense to lose slowly and at a calorie level that won't be too far off from maintenance, so if 1650 is what MFP gave you, enjoy it and lose in a healthy manner. Good luck.

LiftHeavyThings27105

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

So, I went to https://tdeecalculator.net and put in your details. It comes up with the following caloric intake values based on the different Physical Activity Levels:

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,355 calories per day
Sedentary 1,626 calories per day
Light Exercise 1,863 calories per day
Moderate Exercise 2,100 calories per day
Heavy Exercise 2,337 calories per day
Athlete 2,574 calories per day

Also, BMI has you right at obese. Your BMI is 25.0. To be honest, I am obese according to BMI and I would *LOVE* to show those guys just what obese looks like! LOL! I am 51, 6'0" and 210lbs and pretty danged athletic. Anyway, I do not put much value into BMI.

Keep in mind that TDEE is something a little bit different from how MFP does things. So, it sounds about right. MFP would suggest that you eat "your exercise calories burned" - or, at least 1/2 of them - so MFP does sound about right.

malibu927

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

So, I went to https://tdeecalculator.net and put in your details. It comes up with the following caloric intake values based on the different Physical Activity Levels:

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,355 calories per day
Sedentary 1,626 calories per day
Light Exercise 1,863 calories per day
Moderate Exercise 2,100 calories per day
Heavy Exercise 2,337 calories per day
Athlete 2,574 calories per day

Also, BMI has you right at obese. Your BMI is 25.0. To be honest, I am obese according to BMI and I would *LOVE* to show those guys just what obese looks like! LOL! I am 51, 6'0" and 210lbs and pretty danged athletic. Anyway, I do not put much value into BMI.

Keep in mind that TDEE is something a little bit different from how MFP does things. So, it sounds about right. MFP would suggest that you eat "your exercise calories burned" - or, at least 1/2 of them - so MFP does sound about right.

A 25 BMI is the bottom of overweight. If the OP loses a pound she'll be in the normal range.

OP, try it for 4-6 weeks and adjust based on how much you lose in that time.

Evamutt

want to add a tip someone told me that works: when your dog stops to smell,pee etc, keep walking in place, it's remarkable how many more calories you burn

LiftHeavyThings27105

malibu927 wrote: »

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

So, I went to https://tdeecalculator.net and put in your details. It comes up with the following caloric intake values based on the different Physical Activity Levels:

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,355 calories per day
Sedentary 1,626 calories per day
Light Exercise 1,863 calories per day
Moderate Exercise 2,100 calories per day
Heavy Exercise 2,337 calories per day
Athlete 2,574 calories per day

Also, BMI has you right at obese. Your BMI is 25.0. To be honest, I am obese according to BMI and I would *LOVE* to show those guys just what obese looks like! LOL! I am 51, 6'0" and 210lbs and pretty danged athletic. Anyway, I do not put much value into BMI.

Keep in mind that TDEE is something a little bit different from how MFP does things. So, it sounds about right. MFP would suggest that you eat "your exercise calories burned" - or, at least 1/2 of them - so MFP does sound about right.

A 25 BMI is the bottom of overweight. If the OP loses a pound she'll be in the normal range.

OP, try it for 4-6 weeks and adjust based on how much you lose in that time.

Correct.....right at the bottom.

stanmann571

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

malibu927 wrote: »

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

So, I went to https://tdeecalculator.net and put in your details. It comes up with the following caloric intake values based on the different Physical Activity Levels:

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,355 calories per day
Sedentary 1,626 calories per day
Light Exercise 1,863 calories per day
Moderate Exercise 2,100 calories per day
Heavy Exercise 2,337 calories per day
Athlete 2,574 calories per day

Also, BMI has you right at obese. Your BMI is 25.0. To be honest, I am obese according to BMI and I would *LOVE* to show those guys just what obese looks like! LOL! I am 51, 6'0" and 210lbs and pretty danged athletic. Anyway, I do not put much value into BMI.

Keep in mind that TDEE is something a little bit different from how MFP does things. So, it sounds about right. MFP would suggest that you eat "your exercise calories burned" - or, at least 1/2 of them - so MFP does sound about right.

A 25 BMI is the bottom of overweight. If the OP loses a pound she'll be in the normal range.

OP, try it for 4-6 weeks and adjust based on how much you lose in that time.

Correct.....right at the bottom.

Overweight and obese are different categories of BMI.

Overweight is actually within the "healthy range" for most people, by definition, as BMI is a population metric and not a health metric.

1houndgal

malibu927 wrote: »

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

So, I went to https://tdeecalculator.net and put in your details. It comes up with the following caloric intake values based on the different Physical Activity Levels:

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,355 calories per day
Sedentary 1,626 calories per day
Light Exercise 1,863 calories per day
Moderate Exercise 2,100 calories per day
Heavy Exercise 2,337 calories per day
Athlete 2,574 calories per day

Also, BMI has you right at obese. Your BMI is 25.0. To be honest, I am obese according to BMI and I would *LOVE* to show those guys just what obese looks like! LOL! I am 51, 6'0" and 210lbs and pretty danged athletic. Anyway, I do not put much value into BMI.

Keep in mind that TDEE is something a little bit different from how MFP does things. So, it sounds about right. MFP would suggest that you eat "your exercise calories burned" - or, at least 1/2 of them - so MFP does sound about right.

A 25 BMI is the bottom of overweight. If the OP loses a pound she'll be in the normal range.

OP, try it for 4-6 weeks and adjust based on how much you lose in that time.

Also, the BMI does not consider muscle mass. Muscle weights more than fat.

Running_and_Coffee

We're only 20 lbs apart and that would be too high for me, FWIW. I lose on under 1400 calories a day with pretty vigorous daily workouts. I'm around your age. Not saying it's impossible, just saying for me, that would be too high for much weight loss to actually occur, especially because unless you literally never eat food you personally prepared and weighed, you probably eat more than you track.

musicfan68

1houndgal wrote: »

malibu927 wrote: »

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

So, I went to https://tdeecalculator.net and put in your details. It comes up with the following caloric intake values based on the different Physical Activity Levels:

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,355 calories per day
Sedentary 1,626 calories per day
Light Exercise 1,863 calories per day
Moderate Exercise 2,100 calories per day
Heavy Exercise 2,337 calories per day
Athlete 2,574 calories per day

Also, BMI has you right at obese. Your BMI is 25.0. To be honest, I am obese according to BMI and I would *LOVE* to show those guys just what obese looks like! LOL! I am 51, 6'0" and 210lbs and pretty danged athletic. Anyway, I do not put much value into BMI.

Keep in mind that TDEE is something a little bit different from how MFP does things. So, it sounds about right. MFP would suggest that you eat "your exercise calories burned" - or, at least 1/2 of them - so MFP does sound about right.

A 25 BMI is the bottom of overweight. If the OP loses a pound she'll be in the normal range.

OP, try it for 4-6 weeks and adjust based on how much you lose in that time.

Also, the BMI does not consider muscle mass. Muscle weights more than fat.

To the bolded - No, it doesn't.

collectingblues

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

malibu927 wrote: »

LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

So, I went to https://tdeecalculator.net and put in your details. It comes up with the following caloric intake values based on the different Physical Activity Levels:

Basal Metabolic Rate 1,355 calories per day
Sedentary 1,626 calories per day
Light Exercise 1,863 calories per day
Moderate Exercise 2,100 calories per day
Heavy Exercise 2,337 calories per day
Athlete 2,574 calories per day

Also, BMI has you right at obese. Your BMI is 25.0. To be honest, I am obese according to BMI and I would *LOVE* to show those guys just what obese looks like! LOL! I am 51, 6'0" and 210lbs and pretty danged athletic. Anyway, I do not put much value into BMI.

Keep in mind that TDEE is something a little bit different from how MFP does things. So, it sounds about right. MFP would suggest that you eat "your exercise calories burned" - or, at least 1/2 of them - so MFP does sound about right.

A 25 BMI is the bottom of overweight. If the OP loses a pound she'll be in the normal range.

OP, try it for 4-6 weeks and adjust based on how much you lose in that time.

Correct.....right at the bottom.

Obese is not the same as overweight.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

ITUSGirl51 wrote: »

I think that would be .5 a week. You will need to be tight with logging. 30 min of dog walking will only burn 100-150 calories depending on how fast you walk.

to lose weight its all about the deficit,not exercise calories. exercise is great for many other reasons though

RaeBeeBaby

As others have said, try it and see where you land. If you don't lose drop it a bit.

I'm 10 years older but about the same height and weight. With moderate exercise 5 days a week, 1650-1700 is my maintenance range. If I stick (strictly) with about 1400 a day I will see the scale move down. With only a little bit to lose to get in the normal range you may find that it is a slow endeavor, but don't get discouraged!

kimny72

KM0692 wrote: »

47 year old female, 5'6, 155 lbs. Walk the dogs for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

Honestly, the only correct answer is "maybe".

Any calculator can only give you a starting point. Start logging accurately and consistently and hit that goal for at least 4-6 weeks. If you are losing slower than expected, drop your cals a little and give it another 4-6 weeks. If you are losing too fast, eat a little bit more.

Your real calorie level depends so much on variables that can't be plugged into a calculator, so all of us have to patiently go through the trial and error phase. Some of us are lucky enough that the calculator comes pretty darn close, others not so much.

It looks to me like you probably chose a goal of 0.5lbs per week, which is totally appropriate since you don't have much to lose

Accurate logging will be key. Good luck!

lakinapook

I am a 46 year old female 5 foot 5 currently 155 but started in January at 167. Over an 8 week period I lost 10 pounds, so approximately 1.25 pounds per week, and in order to make that happen I had to eat no more than 1200 calories per day, and I did 5 moderately intense group exercise sessions per week for an hour.

Maybe you could lose a half a pound per week that way, I personally would have lost patience with that rate of weight loss, but everyone is different.

MFP isn't the gospel on how many calories a person can eat to lose weight, it just gives out a formula based on averages.

Francl27

With your stats, highly doubtful. I'm 7 years younger than you with similar stats, and if my only activity was 30 minutes of walking 5 days a week, my maintenance would be 1600 calories.

ljashley1952

In my opinion, one has to do more exercise when eating 1600 calories a day. Just add one or two workouts a week and cut a few calories and that should create a deeper deficit.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

ljashley1952 wrote: »

In my opinion, one has to do more exercise when eating 1600 calories a day. Just add one or two workouts a week and cut a few calories and that should create a deeper deficit.

it all depends on the person. I was losing on 1600 a day. when I started out I was losing on 2000+. Im 5'6 1/2 and 43. Im about 173 right now and Im eating 1900+ gross and netting about 1500+ and maintaining my weight. I have a metabolic disorder though and for me my BMR is 200-300 less than what MFP and other calculators says it should be. so when my net calories are less than the 1500 I lose.I dont alays exercise either. some days I get 10,000+ steps in and other exercise . today I only have a little over 7000 steps.

AnvilHead

ljashley1952 wrote: »

In my opinion, one has to do more exercise when eating 1600 calories a day. Just add one or two workouts a week and cut a few calories and that should create a deeper deficit.

It does depend upon the person. That may be true for some, but for others it would create too large a deficit. I've lost over 70 pounds eating 2200-2400 calories per day and exercising. If I was eating 1600 and exercising, I'd be dropping weight like crazy...and losing a lot of muscle in the process. A deeper deficit isn't always a good thing.

ceiswyn

musicfan68 wrote: »

1houndgal wrote: »

Also, the BMI does not consider muscle mass. Muscle weights more than fat.

To the bolded - No, it doesn't.

It doesn’t? I was under the impression that muscle is denser than fat, and therefore has a greater mass for the same volume. Is that incorrect?

ACanadian22

ceiswyn wrote: »

musicfan68 wrote: »

1houndgal wrote: »

Also, the BMI does not consider muscle mass. Muscle weights more than fat.

To the bolded - No, it doesn't.

It doesn’t? I was under the impression that muscle is denser than fat, and therefore has a greater mass for the same volume. Is that incorrect?

It is kind of like the question "Which weighs more? A ton of feathers or a ton of brick"
Yes, muscle will look so much better and you will look so much better as it is compact.

To OP: Honestly, you really didn't give a lot of into. I walk daily for an hour and do a brisk walk to try for 300 calories. I am losing, but I also can't have that many calories. You are pretty close to your great bmi despite what others had said. This is a "try thing" as in try it for a bit and if it isn't working, up the activity, eat a bit less or both. We are all different

Best of luck on your journey!

ceiswyn

ACanadian22 wrote: »

ceiswyn wrote: »

musicfan68 wrote: »

1houndgal wrote: »

Also, the BMI does not consider muscle mass. Muscle weights more than fat.

To the bolded - No, it doesn't.

It doesn’t? I was under the impression that muscle is denser than fat, and therefore has a greater mass for the same volume. Is that incorrect?

It is kind of like the question "Which weighs more? A ton of feathers or a ton of brick"

Exactly how is it like that question?

It is true that BMI ignores body composition, and so will count someone with high muscle mass as ‘overweight’. It is also true that for the same volume, muscle is heavier than fat.

That may or may not be relevant to the OP, but wooing anyone who says that muscle is heavier than fat is just being over-picky about wording.